Datingin the workplace

If you’re considering hooking up with someone you work with (even if “considering” = creepily staring at from across the room, completely unbeknownst to that person), I strongly advise you read these tips first. One of the great injustices of society is that most of us are expected to show up someplace 5 days a week and perform a task in exchange for money.It sucks, but until we all leave to form a Utopian Society on Mars, that’s the way it’s going to be. “My ex-girlfriend would come to my office, and when I told her I was busy, she would get offended,” said one guy I talked to.While there is no part of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law that references issues relating to a nurse or midwife conducting a workplace relationship, nurses and midwives are required to adhere to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s (NMBA) Codes of Conduct.A NMBA spokesperson says the revised Codes, now open for public consultation, cover areas such as bullying and harassment.The breakdown of relationships can lead to allegations of harassment and sexual harassment.It can also prompt an employee to resign, lead to disciplinary action, or even termination.(But don’t send angry texts — save the serious for after work.) Ah, Lunch! Though it’s tempting to treat every lunch hour like a mid-day date with the co-worker you’re sleeping with, it’s a good idea to either set a schedule or limit your lunches together to one day a week.You really don’t want to become “that couple,” to the exclusion of your other co-workers, and you also don’t want to spend If you and a coworker actually start dating, and plan on being a couple for a while, stop keeping it a secret.

Dating a coworker or boss or colleague can lead to unbearable awkwardness, a tarnished professional reputation, and even job-loss. For as long as there have been workplaces, there have been people surreptitiously hooking up at them.The survey results indicate that while 40 percent of millennials report no negative effects whatsoever from an office romance, only 10 percent of older workers shared that sentiment, meaning the majority of employed Americans feel more harm could be done than good. We knew instinctively that involvement in office romance created threats to our own performance evaluation and continued employment.We had a longer-term view of what is right and wrong.Nurses and midwives embarking on a workplace relationship must ensure they continue to abide by the legal requirements, professional behaviour and conduct expectations outlined in the Codes.“Speaking in general terms, the NMBA will hold nurses to account who fail to meet their professional obligations, and will take regulatory action to limit their registration if their health, conduct or performance fails to meet the expected standards,” the spokesperson says.“It would (be) up to the nurses’ professional judgement to determine what is appropriate, in line with NMBA’s standards – and in addition to this I am aware that most employers have policies in place to provide guidance in this area.”Professional pitfalls Workplace romances can lead to accusations of distracted patient care and favouritism, especially when it comes to pay rises, promotions and workplace opportunities, and can also spark gossip and resentment from colleagues.And when relationships crumble, the workplace environment can be uncomfortable or, at worst, hostile.Even though some of these negative conditions exist even with romance policies, rules and regulations make employees think twice before engaging in such behavior.